Update April 15th 2008.
Finally some good news for Super ferry...after suffering unimaginable
frustrations during high surge winter months with many voyage cancellations.....the
demise of Aloha Airlines has created a niche for the Super ferry and quieted
some of its most vocal opponents.
It is now doing daily service to Maui although we haven't seen counts to
judge its viability for the future.
Certainly if you are going to Maui from Oahu and are a visitor a one way trip
along the amazing coastlines of Molokai and Maui is well worth the time spent.......hopefully
before too long Kauai will come to its senses and also welcome the Ferry.....for now it is just doing Maui.
January 15th 2008
Amazing things have happened......it is almost unbelievable,
and my prediction of the first operator going broke gets closer by the day.
As you can see lower down the ferry arrived in Honolulu among much fanfare in July 2007.
Since then it has seen violent protests on Kauai and injunctions
on Maui that required a special session of the legislature to change the law so it could operate. It began regular service to Maui, interrupted by huge winter surf, just in the last two weeks.
It has not been game to return to Kauai as yet and is doing one trip
a day to Maui......a second daily Maui trip was cancelled over the last
few days because Maui's mayor was miffed.
In the mean time Hawaiian and Aloha (the noisy one) have managed to deal
a deadly thrust to GO airline which was bringing us highly competitive
fares......as a result of an $80 million judgment against GO in bankruptcy
court.......that it used info gained during its examination of Hawaiian's books
during a possible takeover offer.
This is so stupid it beggars the mind.....lets get this straight....Hawaiian
is so screwed up that it goes bankrupt......a highly successful mainland operator
comes in to see if it can be rescued......makes an offer which is rejected....so starts its own airline.
A judge rules that GO obtained competitive information enabling it to compete
unfairly.......did it occur to this judge that GO just had to be efficient to
compete and that anything obtained from Hawaiian would be a detriment....well
this is the good old boys at work in Hawaii.
Anyway the bottom line of the above is that the Superferry has dropped its
opening prices and GO, Hawaiian and Aloha have raised theirs so fares are about even.
Again my prediction is that the Superferry goes broke but survives with a new
friendlier entity who pays half for it.
So far I think it will get a warm welcome on the Big Island in 2009 although we
have the most to lose from its sheer people impact.
May we live in interesting times !!
October 10th 2007.
The saga continues with a Maui judge ruling that the ferry cannot operate
while and Environmental Assessment (EA) is done.
This means that it is now up to the Governor and both houses of the
legislature to invoke a special session and make laws that allow the
ferry to operate while the EA is completed.
The developer Mr. Garibaldi says they have now about 5 weeks before
they pull the plug on Hawaii and polls show the majority of people want the ferry.
In view of the many ferries operating in far more sensitive environmental
areas than we have and the lack of reported whale strikes, and the existence
of inter-island barge service moving anything you want ...uninspected....the
enviro's arguments are patently ridiculous, however we are used to that.
In a huge controversy involving development of the area surrounding Punaluu
Black sand beach consultants hired to go house to house and meet people and
get their honest views in a calm non combative environment found that the
majority were in favor of correctly scaled development but were intimidated
by a vociferous activist group who they feel does NOT represent the community.
Same goes for the Superferry......while I am not a great proponent.....and have
some fears as to how it may impact outer island life, I am also aware that future
generations may value what it brings more highly than I do.....and it is
evolutionary and in line with what other oceanbound communities are allowing in marine transport.
I would swap it for the whole of Aloha Airlines in a second, who beyond belief
are STILL flying those deafening 70's era 737's which are banned in every
civilized country, and the mainland US but allowed in Hawaii.....go figure !!
Sept 8th 2007
Well stunning events have taken place to say the least....
The attempt by the Ferry to commence operations on Kauai was
blocked by an armada of swimming, boating and surfboard activists
defying the armed might of law enforcement and the Coast Guard.
On Maui, environmentalists and the county sued in court for a
restraining order demanding that an EA (Environmental assessment) be carried out.
The Supreme court had ruled negatively that the State erred in
not demanding an EA as state monies were involved to the tune of $40
mil for the infamous ramps which no other ferry design requires.......so
they tripped themselves up with greed to squeeze on a few extra pax and a
few more cars to save having to carry around the big 45 degree hydraulic ramp.
As of this date the Ferry is stalled and cannot operate although voices
are being heard for conciliation now the enviro's have made their point.
So my estimation of the first operator going broke (see below) may come
true if the impasse continues long.....unfortunately many people were hired
and trained so this is a real life drama acting out.
As a wry comment the Superferry people made a big mistake in not hiring
the local Harley Clubs as port security. There is ample precedent such as the
local Harley Clubs in Hilo providing security for the Merry Monarch Festival.
Since the enviro's would not have crossed Harley manned lines being only brave
enough to attack defenseless woman and children in cars, trying to board and
leave.......and since the ferry could have offered some free trips for entire
Harley clubs it was a match made in heaven.
I would like to see the brave enviro's scratching a Harley or letting air out of its tires !!
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Ferry to begin operation August 28th....
The new Ferry begins its runs from Oahu to Maui and Kauai on August 28th, 2007
Those of you who have followed my rantings on the subject.....some preserved
below, will know I have mixed feelings about it.
The dynamic that it is entering however, is probably the least favorable
possible, as the Airfare war continues apace....good for you our traveling guests,
and the new Army "Stryker Brigade is both deployed and when it gets back mired
in environmental issues.
This means that the entire economic justification for the ferry is lost.......however
I may be wrong and the appeal of "fast" ocean travel with the family vehicle and the
ability of growers to ship lightly palletized agricultural products to Oahu daily
may develop a whole new dynamic.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
In 2007 the Hawaiian Islands will get a new high speed Inter Island Ferry.
Big Island service is slated for 2009. This promises to revolutionize inter island
travel and is based on sound technology, used daily in far rougher waters than
we ever experience. Outstanding onboard amenities and entertainment combined with
substantially
lower fares than by Air(did not work out), promise to make this a
winner (or so I wrote 2 years ago). So much truly amazing scenery is lost in brief
jet airplane rides to Hilo, where only those in window seats see anything 25,000ft
below. For more evolving information go to
Hawaiian Superferries
website specially if you plan to come to Hawaii in mid 2007 or after. When service
to the Big Island commences in 2009 we will have had an opportunity to see its impact
on Kauai and Maui. Public transport from Kawaihae to Hilo will undoubtedly unfold in due
course. This ride is likely to be on the newly realigned and upgraded Saddle Road which
is currently under construction making for a spectacular introduction to the Big Island,
passing between two 14,000ft mountains at 6000ft.
(This highway is evolving nicely and quickly and is a spectacular addition to our Island.)
Doug Arnott was 100% for the Ferry based on one similar ferry in Tahiti a decade
ago, however a March 2005 visit, Tahiti now has some 6 competing fast catamaran and slower
car ferries serving the small adjacent island of Moorea, 15 miles from Papeete.
Moorea in my opinion has undergone a devastating population explosion and urbanization
as a result of these convenient and inexpensive fast ferries and car ferries. This fate
inevitably awaits Kauai and the Big Island as over populated Oahu sheds its jaded population
for weekends.....and longer !!
One saving grace is that the first Ferry's fare structure is predicated on far higher
airfares than the current airfare war is producing and will introduce yet another inter-island
transport option......either the Ferry or one of the current Airlines...hopefully Aloha, with
its 30 year old ear shattering, fuel guzzling 737's, will go broke.
Please do NOT fly on Aloha....help them go bankrupt quickly so we can all sleep !!
6/14/07 It was announced today that the ferry is on its way to Hawaii from the mainland
and will arrive in Hawaii in early July.
With the airfare competitive war raging unabated and fares from $9
to $29 for inter-island airfares it is hard to imagine how the ferry will survive after
everyone takes it once. However one of the Airlines may well go bankrupt which would
allow the winners to raise prices again.
We are definitely entering an interesting period for inter island travel and its
rationalization within the next few years.
My advice......come soon, its never been better, and prices really can only rise from current lows.
"May you live in interesting times"...
7/01/07 The new Superferry Alakai sailed into Honolulu harbor amid much fanfare.....
Immediately discussion raged in the Honolulu newspaper about the fact that it was not competing
with the airlines which due to the intense current competitive climate have historically low airfares.
Superferry hype is that families and Hula Halau, Boyscout troops and farmers will be using the
ferry, however farmers noted when interviewed that because of no same day return, they would
not want to send their truck.
For two years now we have advised the pundits, politicians and "experts" (suits) of all stripes
and colors to go Tahiti which already has a well established system of similar ferries (note
the plural) competing on the Moorea run.
People do NOT send their trucks, a complete waste of time and capital, instead a large number
of well driven finger lift trucks are in attendance at both ends and goods are loosely
palletized with plastic wrap by the vendor and the ferry's finger lifts, stack these pallets
in ahead of the vehicles. At the other end the recipient awaits the goods, the advantage of
course is minimal packaging and quick covered delivery versus barge.
What remains to be seen is the "class" of riders bringing cars, motorcycles and family for
weekends and events......if it mirrors the Tahiti experience the calm of the outer islands
is about to be shattered and the highways littered with plastic beverage and plate lunch
containers, diapers and the other debris always noted when the loud muffler set arrives.
Ka'u Police should get ready with Radar guns as Oahu's pent up racers ferry in for some high
speed midnight runs from Volcano to Naalehu.
My bet is a fast bankruptcy for the first operators as the novelty wears off, with a
subsequent buyer able to charge far lower fares actually causing a boom in cheap inter
island "with car" travel by Oahu's crammed masses, and a concurrent degrade due to this
horde, of life on the outer islands.....Kauai in particular is likely to take action to
block the ferry if it has a negative traffic impact.
This was all clearly visible in Tahiti and for years I have urged our leaders to go there
and take a first hand look.
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